Alice Walton

A new commercial from an outside group accuses Wendy Greuel of supporting Proposition 187 back in the 1990s -- something the candidate denies. Another group released an ad Thursday that says Eric Garcetti ran Latinos out of Hollywood with gentrification. Maya Sugarman/KPCC

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Good morning, readers. Welcome to the Maven's Morning Coffee -- a listing of the important headlines, news conferences, public meetings and announcements you need to know to fuel up and tackle your day.

Today is Thursday, May 16, and here is what's happening in Los Angeles:

Headlines

New ads in the mayor's race have gone negative -- and they're targeting the Latino community, reports the Los Angeles Times. One ad from a political action committee supporting Eric Garcetti, which can be seen at KPCC, accuses Wendy Greuel of supporting Proposition 187 back in the 1990s. "In a separate Spanish-language TV ad scheduled to air Thursday, candidate Eric Garcetti is accused of wearing a 'Latino mask' and forcing working-class Latinos out of Hollywood during his revitalization efforts there," per The Times.

Eric Garcetti sent a Tweet this morning that states, "I trust @Wendy_Greuel when she says she was not for Prop 187. I hope everybody inside & outside the campaigns will act responsibly."

Maria Elena Durazo penned an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times on the role of money in the mayor's race. "What motivates me and so many others in L.A. labor when it comes to money are the hundreds of thousands of our fellow workers in Los Angeles who don't earn enough of it," she writes.

Does a mailer from Dennis Zine's city controller campaign mislead voters on his support in the Jewish community? That's the a question posed by the Jewish Journal. "Zine’s outreach to Jewish voters makes creative use of statements that are not endorsements to bolster the candidate’s credentials," according to the newspaper.

Outside groups have spent $18 million on the City Hall and school board elections, reports KPCC. "Nearly three-quarters of the PAC money in the mayoral campaign is pro-Greuel. And most of that is from public employee unions who see Greuel as a better choice than Eric Garcetti when it's time for contracts to be renewed," reports the station.

The Budget and Finance Committee gave preliminary approval to the city's $7.7 billion budget, according to the Daily News.

Pressers

Wendy Greuel will speak to the Studio City Chamber of Commerce at 12:30 p.m.

Eric Garcetti and President Obama's advisor David Axelrod will be at Plaza de la Raza Cultural Center for the Arts and Education at 4:15 p.m.

Previously in Represent!

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